In this blog, you will learn:
About the layers of support available for children and young people as outlined in the Schools White Paper.
How to find and apply for the best local authority SEND jobs.
Providing the right social, emotional and educational support to children and young people is essential, but it’s not always clear what level of help those with SEND need.
In a bid to make the education system less rigid and more reliable, the UK government has announced layers of support for children of all needs as they develop and move through different phases of education.
The Every Child Achieving and Thriving Schools White Paper has announced proposals, plans and policies for the future of SEND, including ‘layers of support’ for children with additional needs.
The government hopes to create a more inclusive education experience for all children and young people, one where every child receives the right support early.
Using the Schools White Paper, we explore the three new flexible layers of targeted support for children with additional needs; Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist.
What support will be available for children with additional needs?
The new system introduces three levels of support for children and young people who need additional help to access education. Support will be organised across Targeted, Targeted Plus and Specialist support.
The Universal offer acts as the baseline for all pupils upon which the three additional tiers of support sit. These layers aim to create a more graduated support system that aligns services more closely with individual needs.
For every child receiving Targeted, Targeted Plus or Specialist support, regardless of their educational setting, support across these layers will be designed to meet the National Inclusion Standards.
Schools and parents will work together to develop an Individual Support Plan (ISP) that outlines the specific supports each student will receive.
These plans are designed to outline day-to-day educational provision in a more practical, flexible and parent-friendly way.
The aim of ISPs is to improve early and targeted support within mainstream schools and reduce reliance on EHCPs, statutory processes and traditional SEND paperwork.
What are the three layers of SEND support outlined in the Schools White Paper?
The three layers of support for children with SEND are:
Targeted.
Targeted plus.
Specialist.
Targeted
Targeted is the first formal tier of additional SEND support proposed in the Schools White Paper. Targeted support is for children with ongoing, commonly occurring needs.
At the Targeted level, support is delivered within the child or young person’s setting and outlined in an Individual Support Plan that is co-developed with parents and carers.
This level of support is managed and delivered by the school's staff within the mainstream classroom.
Targeted support aims to identify emerging needs early and provide structured, timely intervention that is integrated into everyday provision.
This support may include additional staff help, assistive technology such as laptops, social skills groups and other services tailored to a child’s needs. When provided early, small, structured interventions like these can prevent challenges from escalating.
Targeted Plus
When a child has ongoing specific needs that cannot be met by universal teaching alone, they will receive Targeted or Target Plus support.
Targeted Plus support consists of small group interventions and an Individual Support Plan to outline short-term goals.
Targeted Plus builds on targeted support by providing more coordinated input and more focused intervention alongside mainstream learning.
This may include additional group-based provisions, such as targeted literacy groups, social skills sessions, or access to a support base.
Targeted Plus is provided by school staff, as outlined by the SENCO. The goal of Targeted Plus is to provide structured interventions within mainstream schools. This tier draws on the government’s Experts at Hand service to involve education, health and care professionals when needed.
Children and young people receive Targeted Plus support from their educational setting, as well as input from professionals such as Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists and Occupational Therapists.
Specialist
The specialist layer is for children with the most complex needs who may require a Specialist Provision Package or an EHCP, following individual assessments and referrals by specialists.
Typically, specialist support will be long-term and provided through a collaborative effort between the school, local authorities, medical and therapeutic professionals.
Specialist support is available in both mainstream and special settings and may also be delivered through a ‘specialist base.’ This support is provided through an EHCP and provides a higher level of provision through new, nationally defined Specialist Provision Packages.
Through this tier, children and young people will be provided with multi-agency support involving external education and health professionals.
This will form the basis of an EHCP, which outlines learning objectives and appropriate provisions.
Specialist support is provided by schools, local authorities and medical/therapeutic professionals and involves assessments and direct work with specialists.
The aim of the specialist layer is to coordinate highly individualised and intensive support to help children reach specific, long-term outcomes.
What is the Universal offer?
Every child should receive the right support early, without waiting for a diagnosis or needing an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
While some pupils need more targeted and sometimes individualised support, others can thrive under the universal offer that forms the fundamental pedagogy and practice in the mainstream classroom.
The universal approach is part of the government's plan to provide high-quality early support and opportunities for growth for all young people, from the early years through to the age of 25.
The government wants to create a more inclusive educational experience for all children and young people by reducing sensory barriers in the mainstream classroom where needed.
The universal offer helps schools and educators make reasonable adjustments so every child can thrive, using everyday teaching strategies.
The plan is for the universal offer to be in place for all students to ensure children and young people get help as soon as they need it and that the support works for them.
What will the universal offer of support include?
The universal offer of support in the classroom will include:
Leadership that embeds inclusion in planning.
Evidence-based support that prioritises early intervention.
High-quality, adaptive teaching with a curriculum designed for all learners.
Accessible provision beyond the classroom.
A safe and respectful environment.
Strong partnerships with families and wider services.
Sensory-friendly environments with continuous improvements to accessibility.
Offering visual aids in the classroom such as timetables, pictures, prompts and graphic organisers.
Can children move between layers of support?
As a child develops, their needs can increase or decrease and they may benefit from transitioning between different layers to receive the most effective support.
Children and young people can move easily between different levels of SEND support as their needs change over time. The system is designed to be flexible and no child is required or expected to follow a set path or move through the levels in a specific order.
Children can move up a level if emerging needs develop or down to a different level of support if their circumstances change.
For example, a child may shift from Targeted to Targeted Plus if they require more focused support and intensive input from education and health professionals.
Likewise, a child might move down a level and require less monitoring after successful intervention.
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